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Thursday,
May 29, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Aziz formally named Pak High Commissioner Tight security for Kalam’s Bihar visit
NHRC notices to states, UTs |
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Ajit meets Sonia NCW seeks report on torture of woman Defer CAS implementation: Cong Padmanabhaiah meets Advani Uniform fee structure in UP varsities
4 criminals held 5 RLD ministers resign
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Aziz formally named Pak High Commissioner New Delhi, May 28 Pakistan’s Acting High Commissioner to India, Mr Munnawar Sayeed, told The Tribune that Mr Khan’s name had been announced after the Government of India granted its “agreement” for this appointment earlier in the day. He declined to give any time-frame as to when Mr Khan would take up his new assignment. Mr Sayeed, however, said the India-Pakistan relations were moving in a “positive direction” and hoped that things would improve in the subcontinent. Islamabad has formally announced the name of its envoy to India 15 days after New Delhi declared Mr Shivshankar Menon as its envoy to Islamabad. According to reports in Pakistani media, the Pakistan government considered many candidates for the most challenging diplomatic assignment — High Commissioner to India — including journalist-turned-diplomat, Ms Maleeha Lodhi. The name of Ms Lodhi cropped up even after she had been cleared for the post of Pakistan’s Ambassador to United Kingdom. According to diplomatic sources here, Islamabad’s decision to appoint Mr Khan, a career diplomat, was a right one, as only a professional and experienced diplomat should hold the top job in Pakistan’s High Commission in India. Mr Khan was in India as Deputy High Commissioner in the 1980s and he has also served as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Malaysia and Ambassador to Afghanistan. He has also had diplomatic assignments in Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique and the USA. He has also been Director General (South Asia) in foreign ministry. The Pakistan High Commission here says that Mr Khan has been asked to make preparations to take up his new assignment “in the near future”. Mr Khan, it says, would engage in consultations in the foreign ministry and other ministries and seek “guidance” from the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Mir Zafrullah Khan Jamali, and the President, Gen Pervez Musharraf. |
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Tight security for Kalam’s Bihar visit Patna, May 28 Officials of various government departments, including the ones responsible for giving security cover to the first citizen, are burning the midnight oil to make the visit hassle-free. Authorities have left nothing to chance and the security plan for the districts of Patna, Gaya and Nalanda have been finalised. People watched with great curiosity a mock Presidential convoy on the roads which Dr Kalam would take to reach various places during his stay here. A facelift has been given to Raj Bhavan, Patna junction, Khuda Baksh Oriental Library, Patna Museum, the L.N. Mishra Institute of Economic Development and Takht Harmandir Saheb, which the President would visit.
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NHRC notices to states, UTs New Delhi, May 28 The commission has also sought information regarding the constitution of Juvenile Justice Boards and protective homes. It has asked the states and the UTs to clarify whether the homes set up are certified or special under Section 9 of the Act. These have further been directed to clarify whether child welfare committees or children’s homes have been constituted under various provisions of the Act. The commission decided to issue notices to the states and the UTs after receiving a report from its Special Rapporteur in Orissa. In his report, the Special Rapporteur, Mr A.B. Tripathi, has pointed out that the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act has not been fully implemented in the state so far. |
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Ajit meets Sonia New Delhi, May 28 Sources said the issue of a tie-up in the coming Assembly elections in Rajasthan was touched upon by Mr Ajit Singh at the meeting, but the discussions mainly centred around the political situation in Uttar Pradesh. They said the RLD was likely to announce the withdrawal of support to the Mayawati government in the "next few days" after which the opposition parties in UP, including the Congress, RLD, Samajwadi Party and RKP, would join hands to bring down the
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NCW seeks report on torture of woman New Delhi, May 28 “NCW has asked these state governments to submit their reports into the incidents failing which it will do its own investigation into the cases,” NCW sources said. According to media reports, Shivwati was branded ‘witch’, dragged out of her house, beaten up and tortured in Ranchi. Shivwati, who belonged to a backward class of “Junwani”, remained motionless for four hours because of broken bones, the report said and quoted area SHO saying: “She was just 15 minutes away from the death.” The reports further adds that she has been discharged from the hospital and was staying with her parents in a neighbouring village. In second incident, Anarkali was raped in Amethi by her father-in-law who was against the marriage of his son and Anarkali.
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Defer CAS implementation: Cong New Delhi, May 28 Congress chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy said that implementation of the law relating to CAS, which the government proposes to implement by July 15, was now a subject of public discourse. At the time of the passing of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2002, the Congress party had conveyed to the then Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ms Sushma Swaraj, that several outstanding issues relating to the implementation of CAS should first be sorted out. Ms Swaraj assured that with the passage of the Bill and the introduction of CAS, the consumer would be benefited by receiving a bouquet of channels at prices less than what the cable operators were then charging, he said. Mr Reddy said Ms Swaraj had also indicated that the set-top box would be supplied to the consumer at less than Rs 2,000 through which the consumer will receive a bouquet of channels, both free-to-air and “pay’’. “It now transpires that digital set-top boxes are likely to cost Rs. 4,500 to Rs 6000. Issues relating to the sources through which the set-top boxes will be supplied, their availability in adequate numbers, the channelising of those set-top-boxes to the consumer and the pricing of channels, both free-to-air and pay, by the cable operators have not yet been resolved,’’ Mr Reddy said. He said the Congress was concerned about the possibility of consumers having to pay much more after July 15 than they are paying now. The spokesman said that consumer’s freedom of choice was also likely to be adversely affected. To a question, he said the Congress was not opposed to direct-to-home (DTH), provided the guidelines were strictly followed. Demanding an early setting up of the Convergence Authority, Mr Reddy said the CA Bill had been looked into by the Standing Committee. “The report was finalised in November 2002, but the government was sitting pretty for the past six months,’’ Mr Reddy said. The spokesman described as “strange’’ the affidavit submitted by the Home Ministry before the Liberhan Commission, saying that the Ram temple existed before the Babri mosque was built. Taking objection to the Centre’s stand, Mr Reddy said that the terms of the Liberhan Commission were confined to circumstances in which the demolition of Babri mosque took place. He said the government was not party to the dispute. “No one knows who took this view in government.... whether the matter was discussed in the Cabinet. What are the historical and archaeological facts on the basis of which the Home Ministry had taken the decision,’’ Mr Reddy said, accusing the government of functioning in a cloak-and-dagger manner.’’ He asked the BJP’s allies in the NDA government to clarify if they were taken into confidence on the issue. The spokesman said the Congress was puzzled as to how the Justice Phukan Commission probing the Tehelka expose had “reversed the decision taken by Justice Venkatswami that Tehelka tapes were genuine and not doctored.’’ He said action had been taken against defence officials on the basis of Tehelka tapes, but a different yardstick was being adopted in the case of politicans. Mr Reddy said the government, which was a prime accused in the case, had been directed to get the tapes examined through foreign experts. “On top of everything, the identity of experts is to be kept a secret. How anyone can be sure that tapes cannot be doctored in the process of transmission,’’ he said. |
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Padmanabhaiah meets Advani New Delhi, May 28 After briefing Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani here on his recent “informal” parleys with the NSCN(I-M) leadership in Bangkok late last week, Mr Padmanabhaiah told reporters that the talks, aimed at furthering the peace process in Nagaland, would continue. “It is a complex issue and we are inching forward,” he said adding that more rounds of parleys were necessary for the peace process to take a final shape. Asked to comment on a recent statement by the NSCN(I-M) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah that the issue of unification of Naga territories was “standing in the way of the final solution”, he said “Nagas are spread over various areas and anything we decide would affect everything else. That is why it is a complex issue”. Mr Padmanabhaiah, who held a series of meetings with Muivah and NSCN(I-M) chairman Isak Chisi Swu late last week, said the next round would be held next month but no dates had been finalised yet.
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Ranchi bandh paralyses life Ranchi, May 28 The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) supremo Shibu Soren, along with around 50 party workers, was arrested in front of his residence when they tried to march to Rajbhavan to stage a dharna in protest against yesterday’s police action on the agitators. The situation in the town, which witnessed large-scale violence yesterday, today remained peaceful. No untoward incident had been reported from any part of the town so far, the police said. The AMJM called the bandh, also supported by the Jharkhand Mukti Front, in protest against yesterday’s police action. All shops and business establishments remained closed. Functioning in all financial institutions, including banks, came to a standstill. A small number of vehicles plied on the road. Chief Minister Arjun Munda had appealed to all political parties and organisations to maintain peace.
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Uniform fee structure in UP varsities Lucknow, May 28 Mr Sharma said this would check the irregular admissions in the universities. In order to improve the financial condition of the universities the decision to strictly follow the financial discipline had been taken, he added. In a meeting with the Vice-Chancellors of various state universities and finance, planning and higher education officers here yesterday, Mr Sharma said the government aimed at providing uniform education to rich as well as poor students. He said to check the increasing concept of admitting students through NRI quota and other doors, the government had decided to implement a uniform fee structure. |
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4 criminals held New Delhi, May 28 Rajbir Rathi, alias Rajesh, alias Sushil, Manoj, alias Vicky, Ishwar alias Ravi (all from Rohtak district) and Rajiv Saini of Hisar were arrested in the Karampura area of West Delhi last night when they were on their way to Mehrauli to commit the crime, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Satish Golcha told reporters today.
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5 RLD ministers resign Lucknow, May 28 State RLD General Secretary Anil Dubey said here today that resignations of all five party ministers were sent to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat late last evening.
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New Delhi, May 28
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